Young Creative Talent Celebrated At Stormont

First Minister the Rt Hon Peter D Robinson MLA and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MLA celebrated the creative talent of local young people at a Cinemagic event in Stormont on Monday 27 January. The event highlighted the achievements of the organisation this year and featured a short film, Punch, shot in East Belfast, by local young film makers, supported by Cinemagic.

Cinemagic has engaged with thousands of young people from different backgrounds across Northern Ireland and further afield for the past 24 years, mentoring and guiding them in the processes of filmmaking and introducing new films to them. The evening celebrated young filmmaking talent and young people who have participated in the many Cinemagic projects over the last twelve months.

Projects that were showcased include Cinemagic ‘Reel Frontiers’ films, Cinemagic Atlantic, FILMCLUB and Cinemagic International Film Camp’s 2013 film ‘Punch’, made by 20 young people from Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and USA with the help of local communities in Belfast and Prokick Gym who invested a lot of time in the location management.

The evening, hosted by UTV's Marc Mallett featured young speakers and Cinemagic patron Bronagh Waugh, who is also a past participant of Cinemagic. It allowed everyone involved in the projects to come together and see their films in the grand surroundings of the Long Gallery in Parliament Buildings, and network with other young filmmakers.

The First Minister, Peter Robinson said: “The Northern Ireland Executive is committed to investing in our creative industries sector and to building on our growing reputation across the globe as a world class venue for the leading film and TV companies such as HBO and Universal, to locate. The creative industries are leading the way in creating jobs and helping to rebalance and grow Northern Ireland’s economy.

“I commend the hard work, enthusiasm and creativity of all the young people involved with Cinemagic. Tonight’s event is a great opportunity to showcase the skills and talent of our young people who are being given the confidence to realise their dreams with the help and encouragement from those who are directly involved in the creative industries.”

The deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness said: “Programmes, like those run by Cinemagic, can inspire and foster the imaginations of our young people.

“The creative industry is one of the fastest growing industries in our economy and the recent successes of HBO’s production of Game of Thrones here and major Hollywood films like Dracula show our appeal as a filming location. This is good, for our global image as a creative industry hub, for our tourism and also for our economy.

“I congratulate Cinemagic for the great work they do to entertain, educate, inspire and broaden understanding and awareness of the media industries among children and young people here.”

Cinemagic CEO, Joan Burney Keatings MBE said: “The evening celebrated the achievements of young people who have participated in various Cinemagic projects and events over the last year. We were delighted to be able to host the event in Parliament Buildings with the support of OFMDFM. The work that the young people have produced will motivate and inspire other young people who are interested in the film and television industries.”